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McNerney declares victory

Original post made
on Nov 11, 2010

U.S. Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-Pleasanton) has declared victory in his race for re-election, but his Republican opponent has not yet conceded. According to the latest results released Wednesday by the four counties, McNerney holds a lead of nearly 1,700 votes among the more than 219,000 total votes counted between the two candidates.

Posted by morganhil
a resident of another community
on Nov 11, 2010 at 10:57 pm

It is clear that Jerry McNerney, our Congressman and a Ph.D. in Math, has made an accurate claim of victory. Mr. Harmer, whose attempt to unseat our Congressman was his third attempt in three different Congressional Districts, has failed for the third time. Mr. Harmer would need to obtain at least 58.5% of the remaining uncounted votes in order to overcome McNerney's lead. But Mr. Harmer has not received even 50% of the vote in any of the four counties in our District. It is time for him to gracefully concede, retire from the political scene and allow the divisiveness of the election to yield to unity and community in our cities and towns throughout the 11th District.

McNerney's campaign mailings raise serious ethical questions about his honesty, integrity and sense of decency. In Britain an election was ruled void by the courts because the winning candidate made false statements about his opponent. Unfortunately, US laws have not achieved this level fairness in electioneering.

But, putting questions of character aside, it is clear that the majority of District 11 voters reject McNerney's socialist ideals, his big government, big spending agenda, and his reckless disregard for fiscal responsibility.

McNerney represents the extreme left-wing factions of the Democrat Party and left of center special interests. Re-elected with less than a majority of the votes cast, he does not represent me or the majority of voters in District 11.

Posted by Maggie/Gracie
a resident of San Ramon Valley High School
on Nov 12, 2010 at 7:32 am

This is obviously good news, if indeed the results are true! McNerney always was the correct and logical choice in our District, no matter what the ill-informed far right-wing base thinks. I hope he continues to fight for the same causes that have put us on the right path. The tax cuts for the middle class should be made permanent, and allowed to expire for the upper end (and the notion that if the super-rich are taxed more, then the jobs will not materialize is bogus: During the past 8 years they've HAD their tax cuts, and WHERE are the jobs? They weren't created, cause "Trickle-Down-Economics" DOES NOT WORK!!President Obama's policies have created more jobs in his year and a half then the previous 8 years under Bush. Harmer? Like all the other "Tea Party" members, really had NO clear answers to our woes, except to take us down the same road that got us into this mess in the first place. Wise voting once again, in our District!

Posted by C. R. Mudgeon
a resident of Danville
on Nov 12, 2010 at 9:27 am

The good news is that with the massive shift in the House of Representatives, McNerney has been made irrelevant. Actually, in terms of national issues, California is now largely irrelevant. Good for us....

One of my observations, having lived the last 15 years or so in California, but in the midwest for 30+ years before that, is that many, if not most, Californians are have an incredible level of "myopia" (near-sightedness), combined with narcissism, in their view of the world. There is a real lack of awareness of the rest of the country, let alone the world. Possibly this is a by-product of the general attractiveness of our natural surroundings - many Californians seem to never leave the state. Unfortunately, this also leaves many Californians blind to the fact that most other states are far better run.

My two sentence summary of California, when asked by out-of-state friends to describe living here, is:

Everything that is related to nature and the natural surroundings (e.g. the climate, the scenic beauty, etc.) is wonderful.

Everything that is related to human institutions (e.g. state and local government, schools, etc.) is pretty screwed up.

The worst part is that many Californians seem oblivious to how much better things could be!

Posted by C. R. Mudgeon
a resident of Danville
on Nov 12, 2010 at 9:42 am

To elaborate a bit on my above post, in comparing things from my previous home in Illinois (hardly a paragon of state government virtue...) to my home in California:

State income tax - much higher in CA (Illinois is a flat 3 or 3.5%, I forget which.)
Sales tax - somewhat higher in CA
Property tax - lower in CA as a percentage of home price, but equal in terms of size of house (since home prices in CA were at least double)
Auto fees/license - vastly higher in CA (Illinois has a low, flat-rate license fee, with no car-value-related component)
K-12 schools - at time of moving, the elementary and middle-school classes seemed to be about one full grade year behind in CA. Luckily, once accelerated, honors, and AP courses were available in high school, the gap went away, but only for students who take these advanced courses. And this is in our local district, one of the best in the state. When we moved to the Bay Area, there were only a few school districts that I regarded as acceptable. Whereas in Illinois most school districts seemed good.
K-12 school spending - lower in Illinois, despite the better schools
University system - I'd give an edge to CA here, although Illinois state universities are quite good also. Actually, even with "fee" hikes in recent years, in-state tuition at the UCs and CSUs is still lower than in most other states.
Roads - I always thought Illinois roads were bad, compared to Wisconsin, Iowa, etc. But CA roads are even worse.

My point is not to say that I preferred living in Illinois, but rather to point out that we should expect more from our state and local government, and not be satisfied with poor performance at great expense. In most other states, the results are better, for less money. Even in Illinois, which is not corruption-free. I guess one difference is that even the corrupt politicians in Illinois are at least marginally competent....

Posted by john b. anderson
a resident of Danville
on Nov 12, 2010 at 11:09 am

This gerrymandered congressional district does not follow the ultra left/ultra right whims of the current Democratic and Republican parties. To determine McNerny's vote, simply look at Pelosi. To determine potential Harmer votes, simply look at Boehner. This is not what the election results would require of a candidate actually claiming to represent the people of this district. In a two-person race, we weren't far off of a 50/50 split. Where is a good independent when you need one?

Posted by Midwestern
a resident of Danville
on Nov 12, 2010 at 12:43 pm

CR Mudgeon: I agree with your post 100%...I also grew up in the Midwest, and have lived in CA for almost 25 years, and it is the weather, and natural beauty of the surroundings that keep me here, despite the misguided liberal views of the politicians here. The taxes were lower in the midwest, the schools were far superior, church attendance was far greater, their were less divorced people, less drug use, and more common sense, middle of the road politicians. I also agree that people in CA really seem isolated and do not realize that their liberal opinions are not shared in most regions of the U.S, and the recent House elections are a good example. San Francisco is a perfect example of the contradictions, where you have such a beautiful landscape with natural scenic views, only to be ruined by extreme politicians who believe it is ok for them to outlaw toys in Happy Meals, but acceptable to make it a sanctuary for violent illegal aliens and recreational pot smokers. It would really be educational for some of the liberals in CA to travel our nation and talk to others and learn how extreme their views are, compared to most of the U.S.

Posted by Tim
a resident of Monte Vista High School
on Nov 12, 2010 at 1:45 pm

Gee CR Mudgeon and Midwestern you are both the bedrock of america. Hard working people who choose to live in California and amongst us Liberal heathens because of the weather. Thats the American spirit "When the going gets cold move to California". I too lived in the midwest and middle America and agree with you that those paragon's of virtue there like Bob Ney, David Vitter, Newt Gingrich, Ted Haggard, Scott Roeder, Timothy McVeigh, George Ryan and others could teach us California Liberals a thing or two about family values. I also agree with you that the California spirit has built nothing in this country. After all with the carcasses of companies like Apple, Google, Oracle, HP lying around this state we can't do anything or contribute anything to society. All we get is people from around the world wanting to live here. Who needs the highly educated from India, Israel, China, Mexico, South Africa, Iran and other places in the world when all we really need is more gardeners having babies. And San Franciso what a horrible place. The city that welcomes all people and is the envy of the world with world class companies, arts, culture, food. Who needs that type of cesspool. They too can't do anything right. It should be more like Des Moines or better yet Wichita with all its diversity and openness. Even the St Louis area where most of it's historical corporate companies have been acquired or relocated (see Budwieser, Ralston Purina, Boatmans bank etc) must be a better place to live.
If you hate it here like you the Midwest is welcoming you back. I am sure there is homogeneous church waiting for you. They might even have a warm jacket waiting.

Mr. Nelson, WHICH claims made by McNerney campaign mailings about Mr. Harmer are false and what is your evidence? It is a breach of ethics, dear sir, no matter what side you are on, to make unsubstantiated claims about unsubstantiated claims as you do above. No wonder there is trouble in paradise.

I did my due diligence on all three sides before I voted for McNerney.

In my opinion, the shared diatribe about "Socialism" among conservatives is based upon greed, callous disregard for people not in your immediate family or tribe, and brazen plundering and pollution of the planet we share. My experience with many conservatives is that they claim ownership of everything that has a profit potential, except responsibility for the negative consequences of the things they do with that ownership.

Let's enjoy a moment of peace and reflection before the onslaught of the Republican Tea Party claim to mandate takes us back to war and the brink of destruction.

He told the Mormon Times that he's running for office because he was prompted by the Spirit, the report read. He said his family is currently studying Captain Moroni and, like Captain Moroni, American Mormons must hoist the Title of Liberty.

"Freedom is a pre-condition of everything else God has in his plan," he told the Times.

On the environment, Harmer reportedly questions the validity of global warming: "Nowhere [in the Constitution] will you see the power to regulate carbon dioxide, what we all exhale," he reportedly said. He went on to say that he did not "believe" in the notion of global warming, the report read.

Posted by Midwestern
a resident of Danville
on Nov 12, 2010 at 6:46 pm

Tim: Newt Gingrich, Ted Haggard are from the south, not the midwest. Of course there are successful corporations in CA, as it is the largest state in the union. But have you noticed that Chevron, PG&E,CSAA, and many other CA corporations are moving out of San Francisco and heading toward San Ramon and other more "middle of the road" locations than nutty San Francisco? Why do you think that is? Of course, you claim to love "diversity", but yet are threaten by people like myself and others with midwestern values who have a different and diverse opinion from yours. You are threaten by people who attend church and have deep religious beliefs, which explains why so many people on this blog feel the need to constantly personally attack Mr. Harmer. If you truly welcomed "diversity", you would welcome people who make observations about what they have personally seen over the years, in the Midwest, and in CA, and not be so threatened. Oh, by the way, Georgia is not in the Midwest, but of course to people who are so isolated like you, anything east of California is the Midwest.

To Bill: You asked for some specifics on McNerney's electioneering misconduct. Instead of campaigning on his Congressional record and his votes for key legislation such as the Stimulus Package and Heath Care Reform, McNerney choose the campaign low road of character assassination by trying to paint his opponent as an extremist right wing ideologue.

Anyone who has listened to Harmer speak or studied his policy positions knows that this is patently false. The fact is that Harmer is a fiscally conservative, centrist politician. In contrast, Harmer's campaign literature focused specifically on factual information regarding McNerney's voting record in Congress.

In order to paint this false picture of his opponent, McNerney resorted to outright lies. In his campaign mailings, he claimed that his opponent:

There is no basis in fact for any of these statements, they are all McNerney fabrications. The most outrageous one is the last item about public schools. Harmer has four children in public schools in the San Ramon Valley Unified School District. He has volunteered his time for 3+ years as chairman of a middle school fund raising committee. His wife is a substitute teacher in the local San Ramon schools where they have lived for the past 10+ years.

You be the judge, Bill .. does McNerney's campaign conduct sound like that of a person with honesty, integrity, and a sense of decency?

I will be writing a detailed letter to the Congressional Committee on Standards of Official Conduct expressing my concerns about McNerney. I hope that this may eventually result in a formal investigation by the committee.

Posted by Tim
a resident of Monte Vista High School
on Nov 13, 2010 at 8:12 am

Gee Midwest you got me Georgia is not in the Midwest (what a surprise), so i guess Newt and Ted (who is from is Colorado which in my geography challenged mind is not in South either) don't think represent your way of political thinking. I also forgot no politician in the Midwest has ever cheated on their spouse. On another topic in case you have forgotten PGE is still headquartered in SF along with such other nutty companies like McKesson, Bechtel, Gap, Charles Schwab, Wells Fargo, Del Monte, ABM, Blue Shield of California, Union Bank, Visa, and about 70 other large corporations. Also I am not sure how I threatened by asking you to leave a place you obviously hate. I was just pointing all the great things about California you seem to miss, but if you think my pointing out that one of things that you might be uncomfortable about in California is its diversity is threatening then I guess I am threatening you. I am also not sure how I personally attacked David Harmer. I don't even think I even mentioned him in my post. Outside of not agreeing with his policies and my personal belief that you shouldn't run for Congress in a district you dont live in (and yes I was against Hilary Clinton tunning for Senator of NY, though I think she is great) I am not sure what else I should I attack him for. Can you give me some specifics? But I guess it doesn't make a bit of difference since I obviously am part of the plurality of people in CA 11 who voted Jerry McNerney back into office (you know that District where companies like Chevron and CSAA move to be more "middle of the road".) Best of luck in your struggles to fit in around here. I lived in the Midwest for 12 years, loved it and enjoy visiting it. But I love the opportunities California presents and have taken advantage of it and made a great life for me and my family. To paraphrase Meg Whitman I moved here in 1980 when the opportunities were endless. Thank god we brought back that governor that made the success for people like me and Meg possible.

As a native Californian the level of political discourse in this state has become really disturbing to me. Once upon a time this State was one to be really admired; there was an interaction of viewpoints and ideas without all of the ideological baggage that exists now.
It's fascinating because there is more information and opinions available today then existed when I grew up in the 60' and 70's yet the ideology is to shout down any Viewpoint that differs from their own. It is this type of behavior that has doomed this State because those in positions of power refuse to see what the problem is. A great example is education, in Massachusetts (no bastion of conservatism) they have not strayed away from the Basics, and the do a much better job of educating their children, at a lower cost. Why doesn't California pattern its system after them? Why is this not even discussed? As to the State Budget, those in power will do nothing to fix it because it is not in there interest to do so. You can make fun of the Taxed Enough Already (TEA) Party if you want too, but at least they see we have a problem of too much spending and are willing to forego spending to fix the problem that now exists.

Posted by government and economics 101
a resident of Diablo
on Nov 14, 2010 at 10:41 am

Jerry=gerrymandering! Let's hope the redistricting commission restores rationality to the 11th congressional district boundaries. Jerry only won because of those bizarre boundaries, which were designed to dilute conservative voting strength. Our tiny community of Diablo is not even all in the same district!

The so-called "Stimulus" funds, TARP, and other hand-outs supported by McNerney and other Obama acolytes are nothing but wasteful pork earmarked for Democratic supporters. Chicago politics at its finest! All there is to show for the waste is continued high unemployment and skyrocketing national debt to China and other foreign entities.

The Tea Party movement, like its historical namesake, is evidence that there are many in our country that still hold dear the values that make America great---- liberty, personal responsibility, fairness, and opportunity. Thank God for the hard work done by the Tea Party members to try to restore accountability and rationality in Washington. WE THE PEOPLE!

Posted by Citizen Paine
a resident of Danville
on Nov 15, 2010 at 8:08 am

I'm not going to spend a lot of time debunking Mr. Nelson, above -- one entry will do. He claims, above:

"... Wanted to abolish public schools

There is no basis in fact for any of these statements, they are all McNerney fabrications. The most outrageous one is the last item about public schools..."

Here is Mr. Harmer, in his own words, in an OpEd piece in the SF Chronicle 8/27/2000 (Daniel in the lion's den?): Web Link

"So long as the state Constitution mandates free public schools, a voucher system (or refundable tuition tax credit) is the best we can do. To attain quantum leaps in educational quality and opportunity, however, we need to separate school and state entirely. Government should exit the business of running and funding schools."

No basis in fact?? Pray tell!

I would have to question why, feeling as he does, Mr. Harmer was willing to subject his own offspring to those very schools he so opposes? But then, "say one thing, do another" is actually pretty much bedrock orthodox Republican hypocrisy (Cf. fiscal responsibility/Bush2 Presidency, or Sen. Craig in DC/Sen. Craig at the airport).

To Citizen Paine: It is convenient for you to take a sentence out of context.

If you actually take the time to read this 10 year old opinion piece you would find that Harmer never actually proposes to abolish public schools. His article is a rebuttal to an opposite opinion proposing that private schools be abolished.

He simply makes the point that a government run school system is not necessarily the best alternative. What he is actually proposing and supporting in this article is freedom of choice in funding schools and allowing accredited private schools to receive part of the funding paid in taxes based on pupil enrollment. His point is that free market competition in education is healthy and will result in better overall results.

Nowhere in Harmer's campaign literature, statement of policies and principles, or elsewhere does he propose to abolish public schools. This was an outright McNerney lie. I personally think we should demand a higher level of honesty and integrity from our elected officials.

Posted by Citizen Paine
a resident of Danville
on Nov 15, 2010 at 6:16 pm

@TLN:

Out of Context? Out of abundant fairness, I provided both the entire paragraph, and a link to the whole article. Nothing in either is at odds with the following, included statement:

"Government should exit the business of running and funding schools."

That sounds an awful lot like advocating for the abolition of public schools. Next, you'll tell me he just posed that way because "he was young, and needed the money."

I'm guessing that, at the time he wrote those words, he was on sabbatical from his several political campaigns, and working for a conservative think tank -- with whose philosophies the abolition of public schools is also quite consistent. See? It all fits, inconveniently for you.

In your final paragraph, you seem to assert that if it's not in his own chosen campaign literature, he doesn't believe it. Really? Do you suspect at any level in your critically analyzing gray matter that it's not there because he believes (correctly) it's an unpopular position that would cost him votes?

Mr. Harmer's campaign was remarkably opaque, requiring voters to dig for details, lest they be misled by claims of his "moderate-ness." After I read Bob's entry, above, I found the article in Mormon Times to which he referred. It is very hard to link (no accident?), but you can go here Web Link and search his name to find it.

To that friendly audience, he asserted that he's a Christian first and an American second -- thus putting his religion squarely into play as a legitimate issue. Further, he was inspired to run by studying one "Captain Moroni," who, according to the Book of Mormon, commanded an army in the western hemisphere during the first century BC.

Now, THAT is scary stuff, and quite "immoderate" from where I sit. There is more evidence in the historical record for the existence of Bony Moroni (per noted cultural observers Williams, Lennon, Daltrey and Springsteen, among many others) than for the existence of this particular eponymous "Captain."

Now, please know that I will defend to the death Mr. Harmer's right to privately believe whatever he wants -- but when he seeks my vote, and doesn't include that in his campaign materials either, I am deeply concerned.

OK ... I understand your point on the Bony Moroni thing, but I disagree that Harmer's religious convictions have anything to do with his ability to fairly represent the voters of District 11. I personally believe in Harmer's message of responsible government, a concept that McNerney doesn't understand and never will.

When McNerney was asked why he voted for Health Care Reform (a bill he freely admits he never bothered to read), he said he did it because "it was the right thing to do." When pressed on this, he was unable to answer. It certainly was not the right thing to do for the 95% of Americans that this legislation hurts ... but McNerney does not care who he hurts. He only cares about satisfying his left-wing ideological urges.

The only way that McNerney can ever redeem himself with me is if he fights to have the Health Care Reform legislation repealed.

Posted by Citizen Paine
a resident of Danville
on Nov 17, 2010 at 7:32 am

But TL, where does your 95% number come from? By contrast, here's a series of credible polls reported (but Not conducted) by the Washington Post, which shows that the public's view of "ObamaCare" is clearly trending positive -- and close to a majority view. Web Link

This result is despite the fact that most of its most desirable provisions have not yet kicked-in, and won't for several years. I believe that the new law will not be repealed, and that the country will come to view it as much like the Social Security and Medicare programs.

Much hay has been baled over the "did he read it" canard. Personally, I want him to know what's in it, and I'm confident that he does. I want his Staff to read it word-for-word and summarize it for him, which I am also confident happened. If our Reps read every word of everything that's introduced, they'd have time for nothing else.

- The 85% of Americans who currently have health insurance will see their premiums increase. This is the inevitable result of implementing rules and regulations that increase the total cost of the insured pool.
- The 10% of Americans who are uninsured by choice will now be forced to purchase insurance their neither need nor want.

Let me check the math ... yep .. that adds up to 95% of Americans who are hurt by the health care reform legislation.

I have written a five page letter to the President and key leaders in both houses of Congress detailing the reasons why Americans are so opposed to the health care reform legislation. The letter is too long to post here, but here are the key points:
 It sanctions intrusion of government into private enterprise.
 It expands the size of government.
 It corrupts free markets.
 It lacks fiscal transparency and accountability
 It creates a dependency culture.
 It will cost far more than advertized.
 It steals funds from Medicare.
 It claims offsetting revenues that are illusionary.
 It violates cherished freedoms.

In the letter, each point is backed up by data and facts from the bill or the CBO cost analysis.

I have also included guidelines for a new health care reform bill that I believe would be acceptable to and supported by the American people. This replacement bill would accomplish most of the objectives of the current legislation without the negatives.

I believe that Americans feel strongly enough about this misguided legislation that they will fight to see it repealed.

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